1 * Contributing to the Mono project
3 There are many ways in which you can help in the Mono project:
6 * <b>Programmers:</b> You can work on a free
7 implementation of the <a
8 href="class-library.html">class libraries</a>, the
9 <a href="runtime.html">runtime engine</a>, <a
10 href="tools.html">the tools</a>, the <a
11 href="testing.html">testing framework</a>
13 * <b>Writers:</b> You can help us with writing <a
14 href="documentation.html">documentation</a>.
17 Those are just broad things that need to be worked on, but
18 something that would help tremendously would be to help with
19 small duties in the project that need to be addressed.
21 ** To start contributing
23 To start developing classes or to contribute to the compiler,
24 you only need Windows and the .NET Beta 2 SDK. Please notice
25 that you do not need Visual Studio (although you can use it if
28 You can get it <a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads/default.asp?url=/downloads/sample.asp?url=/msdn-files/027/000/976/msdncompositedoc.xml&frame=true">here</a>
30 Alternatively you can use the compilation service that was setup
34 If you find bugs in Mono, please make sure you enter a bug
35 report so we can keep track of problems in Mono.
37 To enter bug reports go to <a href="http://bugzilla.ximian.com">
38 http://bugzilla.ximian.com</a> and enter bug reports against
39 your favorite component (Mono, Runtime, C# compiler).
43 A few smaller tasks are here, dropped in no particular order:
45 * <b>MCS compilation process:</b> Currently MCS does
46 not build with a single `make' command. This should
47 be fixed (this being part of the `Joel Test' that
48 software has to pass).
50 * <b>Mono/doc and web site:</b> They need to be
51 packaged up in the official `distribution'
54 * C# Compilation Service
56 If you are working on a class for the Mono project, but do not
57 have a C# compiler available or a Windows machine to run the
58 .NET SDK, you can use the compilation service that Derek
59 Holden setup in the following URL: <a
60 href="http://toilet.2y.net:8080/">http://toilet.2y.net:8080/</a>
62 The service will let you compile a source file and get back a
63 list of errors in the class file. You will not be able to run
64 the code, but at least you can get some code written that will
65 help us further down the line.
67 You can contact (and thank) Derek for this service by sending
69 href="mailto:derek@Draper.Com">derek@draper.com</a>
76 If you have looked at Microsoft's implementation of .NET or
77 their shared source code, you may not be able to contribute
78 to Mono. Details will follow when we know more about this.
80 In general be careful when you are implementing free software
81 and you have access to proprietary code. We need to make sure
82 that we are not using someone else's copyrighted code
85 Please do not use the <b>ildasm</b> program to disassemble
86 proprietary code when you are planning to reimplement a class
87 for Mono. If you have done this, we might not be able to use
90 Please stick to published documentation for implementing any